Ask Jen: Custom sofa on a budget?
Monday, November 9th, 2009
Question: With the current recession & a very limited budget, I’m trying to update a small living room. I’m adding color to walls & have studies color wheel a lot. I want to have a sofa made in a microfiber velvet for durability, but I don’t have thousands to spend nor do I want junk that will only last 3-5 years. Can you suggest reputable places where I can order a custom sofa? Thank you for your reply. –Sandy
Answer: Hi Sandy, Unfortunately, truly custom sofas start around $2,500 (not including the fabric cost). But, now there are furniture stores that have lots of sizing options as well as fabric choices, which is a more affordable option. I would recommend the Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams line. The quality is good for the price point and there are 300 fabrics to choose from. There is a showroom in San Francisco called Ruby Living where you can sit in sofa models and see the fabric options. You can also try Room & Board, they don’t have quite as many fabric choices, but they offer a wide range of contemporary styles and lower price points. I hope that helps!
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Tags: affordable quality upholstery, custom sofa, design dilemmas solved, interior design questions answered, mitchell gold bob williams, room and board
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The Challenge of Built-ins
Friday, July 24th, 2009
Trying to design a piece of built-in furniture to blend seemlessly into the existing architecture of a space is not an easy feat. Luckily, I have a very talented contractor who just installed these built-in bookcases and window seat (with storage) with a fantastic eye for detail.
He was able to match the existing molding by utilizing San Francisco Victoriana, who carries a variety of architectural ornamentation, including many traditional moldings used in San Francisco buildings. If they don’t carry the specific molding you are trying to match they can make it for you.
Update: Here are the finished photos complete with hardware, sconces, and the window seat pad!
Tags: built-in furniture design, custom furniture design sf
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The Anatomy of a Sofa: Part II
Friday, November 14th, 2008
Hallelujah, the finished product not only looks sharp but it fit through the client’s door!
The patterned fabric on the back cushions puts a modern spin on the textbook sofa. The upholstery tacks and the fine attention to detail and proportion make the custom process well worth it.
Tags: anatomy of sofa, custom sofa process, custom upholstery
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Re-purposed gurney coffee table
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
Who knows if sick children were actually carted around on this old metal gurney. But, I do know that it serves it’s new purpose as a coffee table base very well.
After finding the folding metal gurney at a flea market I removed the caster wheels (which were cool but made the table too high) and had Walnut plywood cut to serve as the table top and the lower shelf. It’s sturdy, collapsible, and best of all you can put your feet up.
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The Anatomy of a Sofa
Friday, November 7th, 2008
It’s not often that we get to see our sofas before they arrive in our living room. One benefit of being a designer is getting to work with local craftsmen to create custom pieces and watching the process along the way. I was able to see this sofa in progress this week, instead of a sketch with dimensions it’s become a tangible thing.
The framer delivered the wood base to my upholsterer who built the spring system, applied webbing, and constructed a bench seat cushion made of a foam core wrapped in down. It was seriously comfortable. Now, it just needs to look pretty.
* Niche Interiors offers custom furniture design and a variety of interior design services in San Francisco Bay Area! *
Tags: anatomy of sofa, custom furniture design sf, custom sofa design, custom upholstery process
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